Knights of Cygnus: Lupus
by Lupus Stevens
Summary: Follow the adventures of Lupus and Abbie as they strive to become the greatest knights in the Maple World, and to destroy the evil that threatens to rule it. KoC: Lupus will now be released every Saturday, instead of Friday.
1. Notes

**Knights of Cygnus: Lupus**

**Notes**

First of all, I'd like to thank you for reading! I've been planning this fanfiction out since November, so I hope you enjoy it.

Obviously, I'm not the owner of Maplestory or its characters. However I do own the two main characters. My views and opinions do not represent that of Wizet, Nexon or any other persons sponsoring, supporting or playing Maplestory. I am my own person, and my opinions and views are my own.

Now we've got that out the way, I can get onto the fun stuff! (Well, fun for me...)

This fanfiction is basically my take on the KoC plotline of Maplestory. I'll be mercilessly editing some areas since the game mainly consists of beating up countless monsters one after the other for a number of hours. As cool as this is, it won't make a very good fanfiction, so I'm sticking to the quest side of things, visiting various cities and regions of the Maple World and of course the love-hate relationship between the two main characters, Lupus and Abbie.

*

I tend to switch viewpoints very randomly in my fanfictions, so it might take you a little while to get used to it. Usually when I switch viewpoints I'll use an asterisk * between two paragraphs, in the exact same way as above. Sometimes, _I'll use italics for thoughts, and usually it's quite obvious who's doing the thinking._

I'll release a new chapter every Friday, roughly 1000 words in length, and a special for certain holidays such as Valentine's Day, Easter or Christmas, roughly 2000 words in length.

I hope you enjoy reading my fanfiction. Thank you again!

~Lupus


	2. The Beginning

**Knights of Cygnus: Lupus**

**Chapter 1 – The Beginning**

Lupus opened his eyes. Next to him, an alarm clock slurred its lazy beeps through a run-down speaker. _I need to get a new alarm clock._

He sat up, looking around his room. A couple of shirts strewn over a chair, a cupboard overflowing with junk and a table cluttered with papers and stained with tea. His wallpaper was dry and cracked and hung over at the corners as if it were trying to tell him to replace it. The bedside table was old and rugged, its life was obviously at an end. It was surprising that his room hadn't fallen apart yet, but then again, _she_ had helped him with that. Her magic was probably holding the house together.

The wooden floorboards creaked beneath his feet as he stood up and reached for the phone.The dull, strenuous tone held in his head as he stared out the window. Dry, arid leaves swept across the sky. Veins of deep green settled among the orange, autumnal trees that framed the forest landscapes of Erev. A bird settled on his windowsill tweeting its delicate song for all to here. It paused for a while, pivoting its head, before fluttering off into the distance. _How beautiful..._

"Abbie? You there?" he droned lazily into the phone. "It's the day we've been waiting for."

He dropped the phone at the sound of an excited squeal and left the room, leaving it swinging from side to side on its cord.

*

The faint morning light shone dimly through the thin, glass panes of the window, illuminating a small table in Lupus' living room. His black hair settled at his shoulders, shifting slightly in the breeze wafting through the open window. He sat down on a high stool, holding a cup of coffee and a book in the other. He ran his eyes over the pages and sipped his coffee for a good hour before slipping on a hoodie and walking out of the house into the fresh, cool air of Erev.

Glancing to his side he could see Abbie, his neighbour and partner, frantically locking the door, her red hair flailing in the wind. He sighed, hanging his head slightly and began to walk over to her.

"Abbie!" He shouted. "Why do you persist in locking the door every morning? There's nobody around for miles!"

"It said to do so in the manual, so I'll do it!" She screamed before returning to her door. "Dammit, key! Why won't you fit!?" She stamped on the floor, throwing a mini temper-tantrum. Abbie wore a pink pao shirt and trackies. Her crimson hair fell to her breasts and seemed to constantly be flying up, down and around her, due to her stern nature. _Well... Stern is one way to put it._

Lupus sighed again, then continued his stroll down the thin, cobbled path which led to the centre of Erev. It had been a while since they needed to get to Erev Town, since they had food delivered on a regular basis. It would be a long walk.

Soft gravel crunched under their feet as they walked through the forests of Erev. Lupus had his book out again; he held it in his left hand, reading it over and over again. He smiled at one point, frowned at another. All the while Abbie desperately tried to see what he was reading.

"Lupus, what's with that book? You've already read it twice..."

"And I intend to read it again, without you interrupting me." He frowned.

"Gosh, Lupus, you're such a bookworm." She pouted. Looking in the other direction, something caught her eye. A squirrel scurried along the treetops, tail bouncing back and forth like some kind of parrot. It had a nut under one arm as it leapt from branch to branch, desperately searching for a place to stow its treasure. It stopped, feeling as if it was being watched, and glanced down at the two. It then carried on scuttling about, feeling unpressurised by the pair. It popped into a hole for a few seconds, then came out, without the nut under his arm.

"How sweet... Don't worry little squirrel. I won't tell anyone about your hiding place. Certainly not Lupus. He'd steal all your nuts." She murmured, chuckling slightly at the innuendo of her joke. Lupus raised an eyebrow, wondering what on earth she was going on about, then continued to read. They carried on walking in silence, Abbie looking to the right, Lupus reading his book on the left. The leaves rustled on the treetops as a large, ominous building came into view.

"Looks like a rubbish book anyway." She muttered.

"Abbie! Look-"

"What? I'm just sharing my opinion!"

"No, look!" He pointed forwards towards the horizon. Surely enough, there it was; just peaking out over the trees. The control centre was the tallest building in all of Erev, standing a hundred metres tall and just as wide, it dominated the majority of the region of Erev Town.

"Oh! It's the control centre! That's in Erev Town, right? It's quite ugly..." She smiled. "Anyway! Let's go!" She grabbed his hand and sprinted towards the centre, smiling and laughing along the way, dragging a rather disturbed Lupus along behind her.

*

They arrived at a large metal gate, bolted from behind. Stone walls stood firm either side of it. A large, blue, goat-like creature stood guard, covered in armour and equipped with a ridiculously long spear. The guard must have been at least seven foot tall.

"Security's tighter than usual, huh?" Lupus whispered. A strong feeling of intimidation crept up on him as he stared at the massive structure before him. "How did they build this in such a short amount of time?"

"It's quite impressive, isn't it, Lupus?" She muttered, dumbstruck by the sheer bulk of mass that was imposing on her. "But why did they build it? Who are they trying to keep out?"

"Excuse me? What business do you have here?" The blue goat-thing spoke. Lupus and Abbie jumped back.

"Oh, er... We're here to become knights..." Lupus spoke. "We sent someone in advance, to tell you about the situation. Did you get his message?"

"Knights of Cygnus? You are Lupus Stevens and Abbie Jones, I presume?" He boomed, ignoring the question entirely. After a quirky nod from Abbie, he spoke again. "Enter and salute for the Goddess." There was an awkward moment of silence before anything happened. A spark of electricity spat at them and then the ground shook.

The door creaked. Bolts clapped into life. The doors swung open.


	3. The Goddess and The Divine Bird

**Knights of Cygnus: Lupus**

**Chapter 2 – The Goddess and the Divine Bird**

The Goddess and The Divine Bird – Friday 8th Jan '10. Meet the Goddess and the Divine Bird. Talk to Nineheart. Explain the goings on with the evil-baddy-guys. Begin training up to the point of entering the Training Hall.

In front of them was a small bridge, intricately designed from marble and granite. It was surprisingly modest yet it held such a secret. The location of the Goddess was just ahead. Abbie's breath became rapid, sharp intakes; in, out, in, out.

"Lupus... I'm scared." She whimpered, not even daring to look at him. "What are we signing up for? It could be dangerous. We could die..."

She felt a sudden tight grip on her hand. She looked up to see Lupus smiling warmly down on her. A slight tinge of red clouded her cheeks.

"It'll be ok, Abbie. I promise." He stepped forward, one foot after the other, at a steady pace. Slowly, she let his hand drop and followed behind. "I promise..."

*

"Ah, here they come." The Goddess smiled slightly. She watched as Lupus and Abbie, trying to keep their eyes off the massive bird in front of them, approached. They stopped sharp and saluted. "Ha! Did Kiru tell you to salute?" The Goddess had long blonde hair which trailed to the ground. She was lying on a small bench, of a similar fashion to the bridge, with her head perched on the beak of a huge, white bird. Her clothes were fanciful, speckled with flowers and she wore an elegant headband which wrapped around her forehead to keep the hair out of her eyes.

"Kiru?" Abbie asked.

"It's the guard, idiot." Lupus muttered from the side of his mouth. Abbie pouted.

"Your attitude changed pretty quickly, Lupus." She replied coldly.

"Ah well... You are here, and I'm happy about that." The Goddess continued to speak. "Thank you so much for becoming a knight. I've been waiting for someone who has the courage to fight against the Black Wizard." She paused. "Oh, are you aware? The Maple World may appear peaceful now, but darkness is lurking in the deepest corners. The Black Wizard with his evil plans to take over the Maple World, and his followers willing to resurrect him..."

Abbie whimpered again. Sensing she was worried, Lupus swiftly moved in and squeezed her hand again. "It's fine..."

"The evil ones are getting stronger day by day, but all we can do is sit here and watch. Sometimes, the fear of the unknown becomes our greatest enemy and tortures us, night and day... But I won't worry. I have faith that you will overcome all obstacles and protect the Maple World for us... right? You, the ones who wish to become knights... Do you accept?"

Abbie shivered at this. Her hand went rigid. Lupus worried that she was too scared to speak and gave her a nudge. "Abbie, please..."

"Yes, of course!" She burst out, rather arrogantly, while Lupus' head screamed. _How dare she speak to The Goddess like that..._ "Er... I mean... Yes ma'am!"

"Yeah, I knew you'd say that." She smiled. Of course you have to become stronger! Much stronger! My strategist, Nineheart, will help you with many things. I look forward to seeing you mature. I have faith in you..." She trailed off slowly.

Abbie saluted once more, Lupus nudged her again and they walked away.

*

"Hi, Lupus and Abbie. My name is Nineheart von Rubistein, and I'm the young Goddess' strategist. You will get to see me quite often from now on, so you may want to remember my name."

"A-ok!"

"Abbie..."

Abbie and Lupus had found their way to the control centre, without too much difficulty, to meet Nineheart to be briefed. Nineheart had teal hair, draped around his shoulders and tied up into a ponytail at the back. He was dressed quite royally in blue garments and white cape which covered his arms, both lined with gold fabric. He also had a monocle balanced on the bags under his left eyes. It was evident he was hiding his years.

"You only just became a member of the knighthood, so there will be many things that you are not familiar with. I'll explain everything to you, step by step. Where we are, who the young Goddess is and what are duty is, so don't worry..." He stopped talking, and began to pace, twiddling a pair of dividers between his fingers.

"As you know, the name of this island is Erev. It is a magical island, governed by Cygnus, the young Goddess. You may not have realised, but the island itself is floating in the sky right now. It has been temporarily anchored here for a purpose, but usually this island floats around the Maple World." He dropped the dividers on the desk, strewn with papers, and sat down.

"The Goddess actually governs the whole of the Maple World. Her duty is to travel around and watch over the Maple World... But things have changed. Signs of the resurrection of the Black Wizard are evident in various parts of the world. The fallen king who had driven the world into great fear is on the rise..."

"You expect us to deal with that-" Abbie shouted out. Nineheart raised a finger to silence her.

"Please, let me finish, impatient girl." He uttered. "It's been so long since the Black Wizard disappeared that nobody realizes the danger, but if this situation continues, the world will be in the hands of the Black Wizard once again." Nineheart paused, seemingly to think. "So the Goddess made the first move. To raise knights who will defeat the Black Wizard before he awakes."

"And that's where we come in, right?" Lupus smiled, with a slight hint of malevolence. Abbie looked up at him confused. _Is he that determined?_

"Well, yes, but we have to become stronger. All of us must become much, much stronger than we are now, if we are to defeat the Black Wizard. Preventing evil from destroying the world – that is our mission and goal. Do you understand?"

"Yep!" Abbie exclaimed.

"I guess..." Lupus replied, looking distantly off to the side.

"Good, but you do realize that you have an insignificant fraction of the skill required to defeat the Black Wizard? You may be a member of the knighthood, but I need to see your skills before I can confirm you as a knight." He got up. "Go to the training hall outside of town and talk to Kiku. He'll sort you out with something worthwhile."

Lupus turned and walked away without a word. Abbie turned around and ran to catch up.

"Good luck, knights..."

*

_I'm sick of him treating me like a weakling... I'll show him how strong we are. I'll show him..._


	4. Training Endurance, Strength and Friend

**Knights of Cygnus: Lupus**

**Chapter 3 – Training; Endurance, Strength and Friendship**

Abbie and Lupus entered the Training Hall.

It was a large room, roughly pieced together with beams of various materials. The floor was tiled with clay and the majority of the room was covered by long, oak tables; rough around the edges and somewhat precarious. The hall was filled with cheers of drunken men and clanks of beer mugs. A few tapestries were draped around the place to try and make it look grander, but in actuality the tapestries were so worn down they made the place look worse. The hall was almost completely windowless, there was only one large window above the door which covered the upper wall, but it had various cracks and holes in it.

Nobody seemed to notice the pair walk in, and those who did spot them didn't seem to care. The Training Hall didn't look like it was being used for training any more.

Lupus and Abbie barged their way through the singing, utterly pissed crowds to the front of the hall. A small door with 'recruits' painted on it in red was left unlocked.

*

"So... you are Lupus and Abbie, the new recruits?" Kiku muttered under his breath._ How pathetic. They're letting kids become knights? That Goddess needs to get her priorities sorted._ "I don't want to waste much time with the likes of you, so I'll cut the chit-chat and get on with the test. As you can see, in front of you is a replica of Eos Tower, the original of which is in Ludibrium. It's not real, so don't worry about getting killed until you reach the bottom."

"Much like the monsters on this island, this replica is just an illusion, a simulation if you must. It can't kill you. But I'll tell you now that only one person will leave this tower. Once one person leaves the door will close and the other is trapped in the tower until the next trainees arrive, although I've never seen anyone able to live without food or water for a year."

"As you progress down the tower -"

"Sorry? Down the tower? Shouldn't we be climbing it?" Abbie asked.

"Stupid child. The top of Eos tower is connected to Ludibrium, so usually you'll be going down, not up. I'm sure even your friend knew that..." He sighed. _I can't believe these two..._ "As I was saying, as you progress down the tower you'll be faced with many perils, but since this is a simulation, sadly, you won't be killed if you fall for the traps. You'll be frozen for one minute and then you'll be released ten floors above the trap that 'killed' you. It's as simple as that. Get to the bottom first and you become a knight. But your friend dies. That's why we call this the test of friendship; can you take your friend's life into your hand and crush it? That's the cold-heartedness we need a Knight to have." After he had finished, a long silence pursued, as if they were waiting for him to continue speaking, even though they knew he had finished a while ago.

"Sorry, Abbie. This is the end of the road for you." Lupus muttered, pulling his hood up over his head, ashamed. "I'm not turning down this opportunity for anything. Not even you."

"Lu-Lupus... You... can't..." Abbie's eyes welled up with tears. "I... I don't want to die!" She wiped away her tears. Even if she got to the bottom first, she'd never be able to leave Lupus alone, doomed to die. It was a no-win situation. The unbearable truth bore

"Oh, I forgot to mention. When we're done with this exercise we warp the hologram back into an alternate dimension where we keep all our goodies. So even if you found a way to escape from the tower, you'd still be screwed." Kiku explained.

_This bastard enjoys seeing us choose between death. He really disgusts me... I just hope Abbie doesn't take this too badly. I don't want to be the one to tell her family..._

"Ready you two?" Kiku smirked. They both gave a brief nod. "Then go!"

As soon as she sprinted, Abbie fell flat on her face in the dirt. She looked down to her feet. _Dammit, he set up a pitfall. I'm in trouble before I even enter the tower..._

She yanked her foot from the trap, earning a crack from her ankle joint. Already sprained it. She limped into the tower as fast as possible. A hundred floors all centred around a single pillar that supported it. All the rooms were circular, and were covered in various pitfalls and holes. Spikes jutted out from the walls. The entire structure reminded her of when she was five, playing with the new Lego sets delivered by her grandma. _Oh god. I'll never see her again... Gran... I'll try my best just for you..._

Abbie leapt towards the ladder, trying to keep the tears from her eyes. _How can it be over so quickly!?_ She heard a click behind her. Before she could turn to see what was going on, she was frozen. _Ugh... One minute.. I need to be more cautious._

*

_I'm sorry, Abbie._ Lupus flicked from wall-to-wall avoiding the floor, which seemed to be where the majority of traps were set. His sandals slapped against the plastic structure each time he kicked off.

His foot felt a click as the wall sunk below his feet, he looked down quickly as a spike ran him through.

_No use... The walls are trapped too... Floor 73 as well..._

Lupus' eyes closed.

_One... Two... Three... I need to get going as soon as I wake up... As long as I make more than ten floors progress each time, then I'll be fine... Where could Abbie be by now? I doubt she'll make it all the way through. I'm so sorry..._

*

Abbie fell to the floor. The studded bricks grazed her cheek; tiny drops of blood dabbed on the plastic. The floor beneath her began to slide away. Too tired too move, Abbie groaned as the trapdoor opened.

_Lupus... Help me..._

Her limp body plummeted to the ground.

_Back to floor 100..._


	5. The Unbearable Truth

**Knights of Cygnus: Lupus**

**Chapter 4 – The Unbearable Truth**

_Lupus..._

_*_

Lupus stopped in his tracks. There was Abbie, standing right in front of him. She crossed her arms and pouted.

"Honestly, Lupus, you're hopeless! Look at me! I've been waiting for you for a good twenty minutes. Why do you take so long to run down some stairs?" She smiled and held out a hand. "Here, let me help you..." Lupus stepped back, grimacing.

"Get out of my way, Abbie! I'm not going to be the one trapped in this tower!" He snarled at her, taking two steps back.

"Oh gosh, Lupus, so harsh! Then, why are you stepping away from me?" She laughed lightly. "Oh dear... If you're being this slow then you're just doomed to die I guess... Oh well, it was nice knowing you!" She began to turn away from him. Lupus ran towards her and slapped her across the face, running past her and down the staircase. He turned round the spiral staircase and jumped to the bottom. Abbie was right in front of him.

"Lupus! It's not nice to slap! Where have your manners gone? Haven't we been friends? Why would you do this?" She pointed to a small graze on her cheek.

"Get out of the way, Abbie!" He punched her flat in the face. She fell to the ground, out cold. He sprinted past her.

"Oh, Lupus?" The body rose to her feet. She had her back to him. Blood gushed from her head. "You'll have to do more than that to get past me." Her head twisted round to face him, bones cracking and more blood pouring. She rushed towards him, cackling.

"DIE!"

*

Abbie stumbled towards the 65th floor. It must have been several hours since she entered. She raised a bruised wrist and checked her watch and she flicked its face. It seemed to have stopped..._ Hang on... Isn't that the time when I entered?_ She tripped again, weakly falling to the floor. _The time hasn't changed..._ The thought of all her work being forgotten made her break down in tears.

_No one will notice the suffering I've been through... I feel... so insignificant..._ _Even Lupus doesn't care anymore..._

Her tears mixed with blood and trickled down her face onto the cold, hard, plastic floor. It dripped through every crack and crevice as if it was seeking him out.

And, surprisingly enough, it found him.

*

Lupus slid his knife back into its holster. _Darn imposter..._ The clone's body was strewn across from him. It chuckled, then disintegrated into the air._ Just another illusion... _

A bubble of red burst on his head. Curious, he rubbed his finger against the red.

Blood.

He took one look at the drip on his finger and ran. _Abbie!_

*

Abbie opened her eyes. She could see someone's shoulder. Her body had been flung on the back of another. Was she dead? No... She was moving... She breathed in the unknown person's scent. _Lupus... I knew you'd come back for me... _She smiled inwardly.

"Hey." She managed to croak into his ear. Lupus' warm, musky scent filled her nostrils. She buried her face in his head, suppressing a laugh.

"Abbie?" He turned his head and grinned. "You need to be more careful."

_Lupus... I haven't seen you smile like that in years..._

"I figured it out, Abbie." She perked up at this. _Eh?_ "I know how we get out of here."

"Seriously!?"

"Yeah. It's so simple. If we'd thought of it before, then we'd have been out ages ago." He smiled again. "It's a test of friendship. We leave together."

At this, Abbie simply smiled and lay her head on Lupus' shoulder. "Thanks." She lost herself in the sounds of the air brushing her face, as Lupus polished off the last few floors. He dropped to the ground floor and looked up. There was the door. It could only be described as modest; he had to duck to walk through.

Lupus kicked open the door and walked through. The bright light blinded him temporarily.

"I wonder where we've come out? I'd at least expect that goat dude to be down here..." He looked around to see grassy hills and a large oak looming over him, perched on the end of a steep gradient, roots flaying out in all directions. The grass leant forward in the gentle breeze; a warm smell of meadow dew filled the air.

"Lupus, this place is so beautiful..." she whispered. A bird cawed overheard.

"Abbie?"

"Mmhm?"

"Can I put you down now?" He smiled, dropping to his knees to let her off. She stepped down to the soft, earthy ground, which felt almost spongy underneath her feet. She staggered upwards and swiftly slipped her hand into Lupus'. _Has he noticed?_ He gave her hand a brief squeeze to tell her he had. Then they walked across the meadows.

"Where are we even going?" She asked.

"No idea. I'm just following my nose." He murmured back. "There. You see it? I bet that's where we're headed." He pointed to a large oak tree off in the distance. "Wanna run there?"

"No. I'm fine." She smiled leaning on Lupus claiming that she was still 'tired'.

When they got closer they could see five people there, all dressed in various outlandish clothing. One of them looked round and saw them, waving.

"Over here! Hurry up, you two!" One of them shouted. Lupus pulled Abbie along as he sprinted to the oak tree, waking her from her dopey state. Hawkeye was there to meet them, along with four others, Mihail, Oz, Icarus and Irina.

Hawkeye was a somewhat grand affair, fitted with vast expanses of pirate equipment. He had bright orange hair and his skin was tanned. His hat had the traditional piratical symbol with a bright plume of white feathers perched on top. He wore a large cape, which was tied around his shoulders by a large emerald, which flapped in the wind.

Mihail had coarse blonde hair tied around with a white and golden headband. In fact, most of his attire was golden and white. He had large shoulder plates and a full suit of armour. In his hand he held a large golden sword.

Oz was a rather pale redhead, wearing robes, a cloak and a hood which made her look somewhat shady. Her attire was completely red and she held a large wooden staff in her right hand, with an intricate design similar to a snake wrapping its way up the staff.

Icarus was the darkest of the lot. He wore a mask over his face and dark clothes. Occasionally he would peek over his mask to reveal black eyes that looked like holes in his face. Not much could be said about him, since he was perched on a branch in the shade.

Irina was a real beauty. Bizarrely, her hair was green, and so was the majority of her clothing. Her skin was quite pale, too, and her eyes stood out among the rest. Hers were bright gold, possible amber. She had a silver bow, wrapped in vines.

"It's about time you two arrived! So, who's it gonna be?" Hawkeye smiled, showing one pointy tooth.

"What do you mean?" Abbie replied.

"You need to choose which Knight you'd like to follow." Irina explained. "I represent the archers, Hawkeye, the pirates, Mihail, the warriors, Icarus, the thieves and Oz, the magicians. What'll it be?"

Lupus looked at each candidate carefully.

"I like the sound of a thief. I choose Icarus." He pointed at Icarus perched high up in the tree. Icarus seemed not to notice, and if he had, he didn't care.

"Then I'll choose Oz." Abbie smiled, pointing at Oz who beamed widely at her. While Hawkeye looked a bit left out, everyone else, (except maybe Icarus, no one can tell), seemed happy.

"Right. You'll start work tomorrow. Erev's over that way, so I'll see you when you become superstars." Oz laughed. "Bye."

_And thus their adventures begun..._


	6. To Henesys!

**Knights of Cygnus: Lupus**

**Chapter 5 – To Henesys!**

"Lupus. Abbie. Please come in." Nineheart beckoned the pair into an office, overloaded with papers and files. The room's walls were panelled, as if it were some dining hall, despite its size. The room was indeed tiny. A couple of pieces of mahogany furniture were crammed in amongst the paper work. A tanned person with black, fuzzy hair stood next to a wall surveying an old, torn map. He looked too engrossed in his work to bother asking.

Nineheart was sat at his desk almost completely hidden by folders and books, scrawling on forms and muttering about 'all these newbies taking up all my time...'. He finished his writing with a flourish and dropped his quill back into the ink pot.

"Now that you've managed to pass our little test, I guess I've got to give you your first assignment. Although, that does not mean you are Knights yet. After you've proven your worth, you'll receive the full graduation. Do you have any questions so far?" An awkward silence ensued. "Good. Your assignment is to travel to Henesys to investigate some strange happenings."

"Strange happenings?"

"Yes, Abbie. Strange happenings. A mysterious figure was seen wandering around Henesys in a cloak and hood. No further information has been given. Just after these sightings monsters in the local area have started going crazy. It is thought that one of them was given some kind of cursed object and as it carried it around the curse spread to other animals. We had to send an agent there to seal away some berserk orange mushrooms a few days back. He's still there, so you'll be meeting him when you get to Henesys. His name is Roca and he's been an agent for Erev for a good few years. You are to do exactly what he says, understand?" At this he looked at Lupus suspiciously. _It's always the quiet ones..._

"Do you have any questions now?" He asked, resuming his writing.

"Yeah, I have a question." Lupus responded. "Who's this guy?" He said, jabbing his finger into the person's ribs, causing him to yelp and lose concentration.

"Hm? Oh sorry, I forgot to introduce you. This is Fi. He's the son of Kyrin, captain of Nautilus and pretty much the greatest pirate in history. She sent him here on a research inquest. She's considering making him a temporary agent over here for a while, so he gets a taste of some real combat. Remember his name; you might be working with him after your graduation."

Fi went on studying the map as if no one had mentioned his name. Everyone went silent for a few moments as Nineheart continued his paperwork.

"Are you two still here?" He spoke without looking up from his desk. "Could you please leave now? You're using up all the oxygen in the room."

The two left without a word.

"Well he's gone all nasty, hasn't he?" Abbie pouted as they walked down the corridors. "I mean, what kind of assignment is that anyway? Orange mushrooms must be the most pathetic creatures on earth! Why do we have to deal with them?"

"Abbie. We'll get better assignments soon. Just be patient, you'll see. Besides, Nineheart still thinks we don't know how to use a weapon. We'll show him, so don't worry."

*

Soon the two were boarding the ship to Henesys. The first thing Abbie noticed about the ship was that it didn't float. It flew. The ship was in every way shape or form a ship, and yet it flew through the air instead of floated on water.

"It's because Erev is an island in the sky, remember? We'd have to build some kind of elevator to get down to the sea, so scientists at Erev invented these flying ships. They proved so successful that they're now a primary method of transport between islands." Lupus explained.

"Where did you learn all that?" Abbie asked as they stepped onto the ship, which dipped slightly under their weight while it adjusted, causing her to trip.

"Why did you think I was reading all the time?" He snapped, catching her before she fell. "And you said it was a waste of time."

"Thanks..."

Another goat-like figure led them into the ship's hull. The hull was only dimly lit by a few candles, struggling to stay alight in the moist conditions. Drips could be heard echoing through the corridors. The damp, almost rotten floorboards creaked under every footstep as if they were about to give way. Lupus watched a mouse scrabble over Abbie's trainers, causing her to squeal.

"Why don't you get some lights fitted?" Abbie asked.

"We need to preserve as much energy as possible for running the ship. In case you didn't notice, sticking out the bottom of the ship is a large crystal which acts a lot like a huge battery. I we used much more electricity, gas or water than we are right now we'd drop out of the sky half way to Victoria Island." Abbie gulped. "And the crystals are far too heavy to have too many on board, so we just have the one."

The husky goat stopped a little right of their bedroom door. "You'll be sleeping here. The crew would appreciate it if you would stay in your cabins at all times." He stumbled. "B-but of course if you wish to roam you may, sir." He dropped his head and muttered an apology.

Lupus nodded and a rather confused Abbie followed.

"Sir? What makes you so special Loopy?" Abbie pouted in her usual way. Their room was quite small; there was a bed on either side of the room and a squat bedside table in between them. Above the table was a classic, circular window looking out at the skies. The cabin was actually fitted with electric lights, unlike the corridors, the floor was carpeted and the wall was painted. There was even a door on the right wall which seemed to be an en suite. _Not bad..._

"I told you not to call me that!" Lupus defended his pride. "And anyway, even trainee knights are considered extremely powerful. Our 'rank' would be equivalent to a Major in an army. That's why our room's so much better than the others..."

"Oh. Does that make me 'sir' too then?"

"Well, not exactly, since your a gi-" Lupus was cut off by Abbie's squealing as she ran out the room, telling random crew members to be her slaves, then shouting at them when they didn't call her 'sir'.

Lupus sighed and dropped down onto his bed. Laying his head down on the pillow he stared up at the ceiling.

_It's going to be a long night..._


	7. Cynical Mushrooms

**Knights of Cygnus: Lupus**

**Chapter 6 – Cynical Mushrooms; The Search for Cursed Dolls**

Lupus and Abbie waved as the airship, as they came to call it, flew off into the distance. They stepped down off the platform onto a solid chunk of wood. They were in Ellinia, a village set up high in the treetops, in the middle of a dense forest. The platform was a slab of stone built into the branch, which must have been ten foot thick. Little mushroom houses were built into the trees all around. Crickets could be heard chirping in the distance.

"It's so peaceful... Could this world really be in so much danger?" Abbie whispered, dumbstruck by the quiet of Ellinia.

"I agree. Now we need to get a taxi to Henesys so we can meet Roca. Follow me." He beckoned her to follow.

"Did you see a map of Ellinia in your books?" Abbie asked, following him down the tree branches.

"No."

"Then how do you know which way to go?"

"Intuition." He smiled, and grabbed her hand. Soon they were in a taxi, on their way to Henesys.

*

Knock, knock. Lupus rapped his knuckles against the solid oak door.

"Roca. It's Abbie and Lupus. You in there?"

A beady eye appeared in a small hole in the centre of the door. It looked at Abbie then at Lupus, then the door opened. Roca's house was very dark. Only one candle was lit and it sat on a table surrounded by a number of squat stools. There were a few paintings hung up on the walls, but it was too dark to see them and aside from a few pieces of solid oak furniture, it was pretty bare. In one corner there was a door leading to the cellar, and a few barrels were scattered near its entrance.

"Get in. Quick." Roca whispered. They were practically yanked inside, before Roca slammed the door behind them. "I am not a suspicious person. You got that?"

"Er yeah...? Okay." Lupus replied. Roca had a rather sickly face. He had a scroll which he held tightly in his hand and a rather ridiculous attire. He reminded Abbie of an out-of-work clown.

"Sssh! Not so loud! Not so loud!" He whispered. "You want your assignment, yes? Well I got the details right here. Lately, I had to seal up some cynical orange mushrooms just outside of Henesys, as you probably know. I suspect them greatly, but I'm an agent, not a Knight and I have almost no fighting capabilities. I want you to go in there and slay the whole lot of 'em. If anyone of them are found with a doll, do NOT touch it with your bare hands." He passed them some white work gloves. "Here, keep these as a gift. Use these to pick up the dolls. They're cursed, and should you touch them I don't know what could happen. It won't be pretty, I'll tell ya that. If you find a doll, bring it back here. You understand?"

Abbie and Lupus both nodded.

"Then go! And don't forget to shut the door on your way out!"#

*

_'Beware, mass numbers of monsters. STAY OUT!' _the sign read. Lupus took out a skeleton key and unlocked the gate, making sure to lock it behind him. Lupus and Abbie looked out among the enclosure they were now locked inside. There were plenty of places to hide, and not a single monster to be seen. They kept quiet and advanced into the centre of the enclosure. Nothing could be worse than being pinned against the fence.

They stood back-to-back, ready to attack. Lupus pulled out a few kunai, holding them between his knuckles and Abbie grabbed a dagger. It had just occurred to her that despite officially being a magician she had no staff and knew no magic skills. _Pretty lame... I'm a zero-trick pony..._ _I need to get supplies when we get back to Erev..._

"Abbie... You forgot to get a staff, didn't you?" Lupus whispered. "Honestly, you're truly hopeless. You barely know how to wield a dagger. It's a good thing I came prepared." He pulled out a staff and a book from his bag. "Happy birthday. I didn't forget this year. Now hurry up and learn something in there while I hold them off."

Abbie nodded, slightly flustered and sat down opening the book. _Dammit... these old books have no contents page..._

"You should do as much as you can before they attack, okay?"

Abbie simply ignored him as she flipped through the pages. Some of it was in ancient script she didn't recognise. _When I get back I'll have to spend a lot of time translating this..._ She found a page which seemed to be in English. It had a small diagram in one corner, which looked like some kind of cycle. The symbols represented fire, water, earth, plant, ice, poison, lightning, dark and light. The diagram looked extremely complicated.

_Are these the elements?_

Abbie heard a rustle in the bushes. Lupus turned his head and touched one hand to the floor. Whatever it was would soon be dead. Abbie frantically flicked through the pages. She stopped at a page which was dyed red.

_This must be the section on fire-based attacks._ _Aha! A fire technique! According to that diagram, fire is strong against plant and ice-based monsters. I'm guessing that orange mushrooms are plant-based, so if I learn this..._

Leaves rustled again.

An orange mushroom dropped from a tree branch.

Lupus leapt towards it and slashed at it instantly, the mushroom rolled backwards to avoid the blow and ran away. He chased the mushroom towards the forest edge and tossed a shuriken at it. The mushroom ducked behind a tree, effectively blocking the weapon, but when it turned around, Lupus was already there. The defeated orange mushroom collapsed on the floor.

He heard a squeal and looked up to see a crowd of the mushrooms running towards Abbie.

_Dammit, they tricked me. I got tricked by some bloody mushrooms!_

Lupus charged towards Abbie, pulling a kunai from his pocket. He disposed of a couple of them before arriving, then swiped at the remaining opponents.

"You figured anything out yet, Abbie?" He asked, as he jabbed his dagger into a mushroom that had crept up behind him.

"I'm nearly there..."

"Well hurry up, dammit!!" He snapped. _I'm outnumbered. They're weak but there's hundreds of them. Hurry up, Abbie!_

_*_

_If you'd like to see the diagram from Abbie's book --_ http:// .com/art/KoC-The-Elements-153945432

_Copy and paste it into your URL bar. (Remove the space between http:// and Lupus)  
_


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